Propulsion of boats.



G. B. PARIETTI.

PROPULSION OF BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED MAYI3, 1915:

Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. B. PARIETTI.

PROPULSION 0F BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1915.

1,22%, 1241;, Patented Apr. 10,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

r r I 19 7 I T, I2

121 15 FILM G. B. PARIETTI.

PROPULSION OF BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1915.

Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED TATES PATENT @FFIGE.

GIOVANNI BATISTA PARIETTI, OF RICHMOND, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO ALBERT BRUNA, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

PROPULSION 0F BOATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 10 191?.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GIOVANNI BATISTA PARIETTI, a subject of the King of Italy, and resident of 11 Church road, Richmond, in the county of Surry, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to the Propulsion of Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to boat propelling mechanism and has for its object to provide improved means for enabling a manuallyoperated propelling mechanism to be readily fitted to boats and more particularly to light pleasure boats such as river skiffs and the like. It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved portable and readily attachable and detachable mechanism which is applicable to existing boats, so that the mechanism can be easily carried to and from the boat and only a very short time is occupied in transforming an ordinary rowing or sculling boat or skiff into a mechanicallypropelled boat or skifl", or vice versa. As, in

some boats, it is inconvenient to have such a mechanism at the stern, 1t 1s desirable, 1n such cases, that the mechanlsm should be capable of being fitted to the side of the boat and another object of these improvements is to enable this to be done.

In order to enable this invention to be readily understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the stern portion of a boat and of an improved propelling mechanism detachably secured thereto.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section of a modified construction.

Fig. I is a rear elevation of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan section on the line V-V of Fig. 4.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the principal framing part a is a post or pillar which is secured to the boat 6 wholly or mainly by a clamp c. This clamp c is carried by an arm (I which is mounted by a ring or sleeve 6 on the post a and is secured in position bya setscrew f. The clamp, as will be seen, grips on to the upper edge of the stern portion of the boat and may be designed to afford complete support for the post. If desired, however. the post a may he stepped in a bracketf/ secured to the boat lower down or at the keel.

The mounting or bearing for the propeller it may consist of a shaft or stud j which may be formed with a ring or sleeve 70 clamped or otherwise suitably secured on the lower end of the post. The propeller h is secured on one end of a sleeve Z which has formed or fitted -on the opposite end a gear wheel such as a chain sprocket wheel m, and this sleeve Z is passed on to the shaft or stud j and is securedthereon by, for example, a nut 11-. At an intermediate point of the post a. there may be secured a stud or shaft 0 by means of a sleeve 7), and upon this stud 0 are mounted two connected sprocket gears or transmitting wheels g, 7'. At the upper end of the post a a socket or sleeve 8 is secured which supports a bearing sleeve 25. The latter inclose's a shaft 26 to the inner end of which a crank handle 0 is detachably fastened and to the outer end of which the driving sprocket w is secured. The wheel w is geared by a chain with the wheel a and the wheel 9 is geared by a chain with the wheel m on the propeller shaft. The sizes of the sprockets are chosen so that one revolution of the crank handle 2) produces a suitable number of revolutions of the screw propeller 71. Preferably all sprocket wheels are of the shrouded variety shown so as to afford guidance for the chains. If desired the sleeve is may be formed with lugs w for enabling the sleeve to be secured or clamped-to the stern post or other support.

A rudder 3 is conveniently supported by stepping the rudder post z in a hole or bearing formed in a prolongation 1 of the stud or shaft 0, the upper end of the rudder post 2 'being supported in a hearing which is carried by a bent vertical arm 2 mounted upon the socket s. A tiller handle 3 and if desired a suitable yoke may be secured to the rudder post z so that the boat may be steered either by the handle 3 which is controlled by the person operating the crank handle 1), or else by lines attached to the yoke and controlled by another person in the boat.

The crank handle 2: is shown screwed to the shaft t but it may be otherwise detachably secured thereto.

The whole structure and mechanism are preferably made of light material so that the apparatus is very portable and capable of being easily fixed in position or removed therefrom as desired.

LEE

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5, the propeller is driven by bevel gearing and the propeller shaft 4 and driving shaft 'u are capable of turning about the vertical axis of the tube a in order that the pro-- passes the tube a. The bearing t is supported by arms 9 secured on a bracket 10, which is secured to the upper end portion of the tube a by a boss portion 11 through which the tube a is passed. The tube a is supported so as to be rotatable in the sleeve 8 by the boss portion 11 resting upon the upper end of the sleeve 8 and being rotatable thereon. Naturally, bearing parts may be arranged on the lower surface of the boss 11 and the upper end of the tube 8 and if desired a ball bearing may be arranged between these parts. The shaft 5 is supported in the tube a by the hub'12 of the bevel wheel r resting upon the upper surface of the boss portion 11, and any suitable bearing arts, or a ball bearing, may be interposed etween the hub 12 and the boss 11.

'The crank handle v on the shaft u may have an adjustable or telescopic arm so that the distance of the handle from the axis of the shaft u may be readily. varied to give any desired leverage. If desired a small flywheel 13 may be detachably secured to the end of the shaft 11/ and the stem 14 of the crank handle may be inserted into a hole or socket formed in oron the wheel and be held therein-by a set-screw or clamping screw 15. By loosening the latter, the stem 14 may be moved radially inward or out ward to vary the effective leverage as desired and thereafter the screw 15 may be tightened in order to secure the handle in the v position to which it has been adjusted.

Part of the end thrust of the propeller shaft 4 may be taken by the adjustable center bearing screw 16, but suitable thrust bearings of a different nature may be fitted where desired. The lower gear wheels m and g are incased by the box 17 which has a cap or plug 18 secured in an aperture through which lubricant may be supplied when the cap or plug. is removed. The upper gear wheels 1* and w may also be inclosed in a suitable casing 19 made in' parts for enabling it to be readily fitted or removed.

It will now be readily understood that for going directly ahead or astern the crank handle '0 is turned with the shaft u directed fore and aft but when it is desired to steer to one side or the other, such pressure is brought to bear as will turn the shaft u to one side or the other out of the fore and aft line. The bracket 10 and boss 11 will thus be turned and will likewise turn the tube a in the tubular part 8, thereby-turning the propeller shaft 1 out of the fore and aft line and the axis of the propeller being thus made angular to the keel line, the craft will be propelled to one side or the other as desired.

It is advisable to provide a locking means for normally retaining the shaft u in the fore and aft direction and this is conveniently accomplished by forming on, or fitting to, the boss 11, a toothed segment 20, adapted to be engaged by a tooth or teeth 21 on a horizontal lever 22 mounted on a vertical pivot pin 23 secured to the framing 6. The teeth 21 are preferably maintained in looking engagement with the" segment 20 by means of a spring 24 which constantly presses the lever 22 toward the segment. It is advantageous to lock the lever 22 in the position shown and this is conveniently done by a catch 25 provided on the lever 22, which catch is engaged with a notch in a suitable part 26 which may bea projecting portion of one of the arms d, as shown. The catch v 25 is releasable by depressing the catch lever 27 against the action of the spring 28, which is accomplished in the act of grasping the handle of the lever 22. There may be a second notch 29 into which the catch 25 may take when the lever 22 is in the disengaged position, so that the teeth 21 may be held out of engagement with the segment 20 when desired. In this way the parts are securely held against accidental unlocking during the time that the craft is being propelled directly ahead or astern. Owing to the number'of teeth on the lever 22 and on the segment 20,.the parts may likewise be locked when the propeller has been turned to one side or the other for steering the craft. The parts are capable of being very quickly and easily operated whenever it is desired to change the course or to resume the direct ahead or astern propulsion.

If it be desired to support the lower part of the apparatus against a lower portion of the boat or against the keel or stern post a bent arm 30 may be suspended from a clamp or sleeve 31 on the tubular part 8 and may be fitted at its lower end with means such as a buffer or a gripping or clamping device 32 for engaging the desired part of the boat.

The apparatus illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5 may be fitted, when desired, to the side of a boat. 7 When this is desirable, the clamp and frame parts 0' d 6 are engaged with the gunwale of the boat and the shaft u is turned through an angle of ninety degrees,

or through another suitable angle so that the teeth 21 on the lever 22 become engaged with the teeth at one end or the other of the segment 20. In this position of the parts, the propeller shaft will be in a position for driving ahead or astern in spite of the apparatus being suspended from the side of the boat. When the apparatus is used in this manner it is generally more convenient to employ the ordinary rudder for steering as it is unnecessary to unship the rudder when the propelling apparatus is at the side of the boat.

When gears of other tvpes are employed their spindles or axles may be mounted upon or in the swiveling bracket and tubular part or casing as will be readily understood. Various locking means may be employed as for example spring plunger devices which take into holes or recesses formed in a sector or disk on the swiveling bracket.

If desired a guard 33 may be fitted beneath the propeller h to prevent the latter from being injured by contact with the" ground and the guard may have an extension 34: which is continued from the propeller shaft up to the part 31 as shown in Fig. 3 and has for object to protect the up per part of the propeller as well as to support the shaft. The guard 33. 34 may support a cage for the propeller when it is thought advisable to use a cage to protect the propeller against being fouled by weeds and so on.

The various parts and details of the apparatus may be modified in various ways without departin from the present invention.

I claim 1. In a manually operated boat propelling mechanism, a light framing comprising a vertical cylindrical pillar, clamping means on thenpper part of said framing for securing the latter to a boat, securing means on the lower part of said pillar adapted to be fastened to a lower part of the boat, speed ratio gearing supported by said pillar, a horizontal driving shaft on the upper end of said pillar operative upon a shaft of said gearing, a propeller mounted on a high speed shaft of said gearing and a bearing for said shaft at the lower end of said pillar.

2. Manually operated boat propelling mechanism comprising a light framing embodying a vertical tubular member, a vertical tube rotatably supported in said memher, a toothed sector on said tube, a spring operated toothed member on said framing and normally engaging said sector, said toothed member being instantly releasable from said sector, clamping means on the upper part of the said tubular member for securing it to a boat, speed ratio gearing of said tube for supporting said driving shaft.

3. Manually operated boat propelling mechanism comprising a light framing embodying a vertical tubular member, a vertical tube rotatably supported in said member, a toothed sector comprising an are exceeding one hundred and eighty degrees,

a spring-operated member pivoted on said framing and carrying a tooth adapted to normally engage teeth of said sector, said member being instantly releasable from said sector, clamping means on the upper part of said tubular member for securing it to a boat, speed ratio gearing mounted on said tube, a horizontal driving shaft operative upon said gearing, a propeller on a high speed shaft of said gearing, anda horizontal bearing on the upper end of said tube for supporting said drivin shaft.

4.- Manually operated oat propelling mechanism comprising a light framing embodying a vertical tubular member, a clamp on the upper end of said member for securing it to a boat, a vertical hollow tube.rotatably supported in said member, locking means operative to secure said tube in any position to which it may be turned, a vertical shaft rotatable in said tube, hand driving mechanism comprising a horizontal driving shaft mounted on said tube and operative upon 'said vertical shaft, a propeller shaft mounted at the foot of said tube and having driving connection with said vertical shaft, and a latch operative upon said locking means.

5. Manually operated boat propelling mechanism comprising a light framing embodyinga vertical tubular member,.a clamp lower end of said tube and geared with the lower end of said vertical shaft, a thrust bearing for said propeller shaft 'on said tube, and a latch operative upon said locking means.

GIOVANNI BATISTA PARIETTI. Witnesses:

O. J. WORTH, E. W. ECARTLE. 

